BT-42
The BT-42 was a Finnish assault gun, constructed during the Continuation War. It was constructed from captured Soviet BT-7 light tanks and British 4.5-inch howitzers (114 mm-calibre light howitzer, model 1908) from 1918, which had been donated during the Winter War. Only eighteen vehicles were constructed. History As the Second World War progressed, the Soviets were fielding better and better tanks. The Finnish Army, on the other hand, had to make do with a large number of captured tanks, which were for the most part lightly armored and armed. The Finns decided to redesign the BT-7 Model 1937 tank. They constructed a new turret and armed it with British-made 114.3 mm howitzers that had been supplied by the British during the Winter War (Q.F. 4,5 inch howitzer Mark II, also known as 114 Psv.H/18 in Finland). Eighteen BT-42 were built and these were pressed into service in 1943. The BT-42 was used for the first time in 1943, at the Svir River, where it was used against enemy pillboxes. The design worked reasonably well against soft targets but was completely unsuitable for anti-tank warfare. To counter this, the Finns copied a German-designed HEAT round for the gun and it was initially thought that it would be effective against the sloped armour of the T-34. However, this was not the case. These converted vehicles quickly became very unpopular with their crews. The weaknesses could mainly be attributed to the new turret, which apart from giving the tank a high-profile also added significant weight to the vehicle, stressing the suspension and the engine. The BT-42s were used again during the major Soviet offensive in 1944. They were deployed in the defence of Vyborg. In one encounter, a Finnish BT-42 hit a Soviet T-34 18 times, failing even to immobilize the enemy vehicle. Eight of the 18 BT-42s in action made no significant contribution to the fighting. At the time Finnish armored units were still composed mostly of older designs such as the Vickers 6-Ton, T-26 and T-28 tanks, and all of these suffered losses. Emergency supplies of Panzer IV tanks and StuG III self-propelled assault guns from Germany, as well as captured T-34s, made it possible for the Finns to replace its losses with more effective vehicles. The BT-42 was retired soon after the Vyborg battles, replaced in their intended role by German-made StuG IIIs. In Girls und Panzer: Der Film The BT-42 makes its debut right before the start of the match between Ooarai and the USt as part of the various schools that have come to aid Ooarai. Initial performance as part of Dandelion was largely ineffective as the BT-42's main gun would be unable to pierce the frontal armor of the Pershing at range, limiting its ability to be of usae in facing of against the Pershings though it is possible that it offered fire support to the other tanks in its company. Its moment of glory, however, came when as part of Acorn platoon's move to take out the Karl artillery it went and acted as bait for the Pershings guarding it. As these were situated on a raised plateau to which there was only one acces route to, a bridge that was under constant watch of the Pershings as diversion would be needed. By using a strip of ground in order to build up speed the BT-42 was able to leap across the gap. Landing right in middle of a trio of very surprised Pershings they were able to get of the first shot, rapidly taking advantage of the confusion of the enemy tanks the BT-42 was able to knock out one of the enemy Pershing, by firing at its side from point blank range, before these tanks had the oppertunity to react to the threat amidst their ranks. Once this was accomplished and the remaining two enemy tanks had recovered from the initial surprise the BT-42 made a quick getaway, luring the remaining two Pershings away from the Karl in the process, leaving it vulnerable to attack by the remainder of Acorn platoon. Trivia Gallery Category:Tanks Category:Finnish Tanks Category:Tank destroyers Category:Light tanks